13 Feb Definition & Recommendations
Physical activity is any movement of skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure associated with psychological and physical health benefits throughout life. Many global bodies such as The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), up to the World Health Organization have come up with exercise recommendations for all age groups, including children. For children 5 – 17 years of age, the recommendations suggest daily moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity of at least 1 hour in duration, and clearly it seems that the longer the duration the more benefits it will yield. In fact, the use of exercise as a medicine, i.e. in a dose-dependent relationship afterwards, has a positive impact on those children who suffer (1).